Such a plug connector part comprises a plug section for plugging connection to an associated counter plug connector part, and at least one contact element which is arranged on the plug section and has at least one electrically-conductive contact section for plugging connection to an associated counter-contact element of the counter plug connector part, and a shaft section connected to the contact section for securing an electrical line to the contact element.
A plug connector part can be used, in particular, as a charging plug or charging socket for charging an electrically-driven vehicle (also referred to as an electric vehicle). When used as a charging plug, a cable is, for example, connected, on the one hand, to a charging station and, on the other, carries the plug connector part which can be plugged into an associated counter plug connector part in the form of a charging socket on a vehicle in order, in this way, to establish an electrical connection between the charging station and the vehicle.
Charging currents can in principle be transmitted as direct currents or as alternating currents, wherein, in particular, charging currents in the form of direct current have a high current intensity, e.g., more than 200 A or even more than 300 A or even 350 A, and can lead to heating of the cable, as well as of a plug connector part connected to the cable.
A charging cable known from DE 10 2010 007 975 B4 has a cooling line which comprises a supply line and a return line for a coolant, thus allowing for coolant flow back and forth in the charging cable. In this case, the cooling line of DE 10 2010 007 975 B4 serves firstly to dissipate heat loss arising at an energy accumulator of a vehicle, but also to cool the cable per se.
In a charging system for charging an electric vehicle, heat is generated not only at the cable with which a charging plug is, for example, connected to a charging station, but also at the charging plug and, in particular, within the charging plug, e.g., at contact elements via which an electrical contact with associated counter-contact elements is, for example, established on the side of a charging socket on an electric vehicle when the charging plug is plugged into the charging socket. Such contact elements, which are produced from an electrically-conductive metal material, e.g., from a copper material, heat up when a charging current flows through the contact elements, wherein the contact elements are basically to be dimensioned as a function of the charging current to be transmitted, such that the contact elements have sufficient current load capacity, and heating at the contact elements is limited. In this case, it holds that a contact element is to be dimensioned to be larger, the higher the charging current to be transmitted is.
A scaling of the contact element size with increasing charging current is, however, limited, due to the associated installation space, weight, and cost. There is therefore a need to transmit a high charging current with a comparatively small-dimensioned contact element.
In a plug connector part known from DE 10 2010 050 562 B3 for electrically charging a vehicle drivable with electrical energy, a handle part is provided on a charging plug, through which handle part extend channels for cooling, in particular, the handle part.
In a plug connector part known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,099 in the form of a charging plug, coolant hoses are arranged on a section of a contact element, through which coolant hoses can flow a coolant for cooling the contact element.